11.1. Simple prepositions, preposizioni semplici

Preposizioni semplici are prepositions in their unaltered state (contrast these with the preposizioni articolate below). Following is the full set of preposizioni semplici with their most common meanings (meanings can change depending on context and usage).

In general, the use of su, con, per and tra/fra is straightforward for an English speaker. E.g.,

Roberto vive con i suoi genitori. = Roberto lives with his parents.

Ha lavorato a Google per cinque anni. = He worked at Google for five years.

Other prepositions (di, a, da, in) will also be fairly straightforward for an English speaker but some memorization of idiomatic uses will be required. E.g.,

Io abito a Firenze. = I live in Florence.

Sono dal dottore. =      I am at the doctor’s.

Vado dal dottore. =     I’m going to the doctor.

Certain verbs will (almost) always be followed by certain prepositions. There are many such “verb + preposition” constructions, e.g.,

giocare a

gioca a calcio = he plays soccer

decidere di

hanno deciso di rimanere = they decided to stay

andare a

andiamo a casa tua = let’s go to your house

Certain adverbs of place are also always followed by certain prepositions (See Section 7.3), e.g.,

fino a = up until

lontano da = far from

a sinistra di = to the left of